I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improved display systems for holding display graphics including panels, photomurals, banners, signs or the like in tension and in a generally upright, but angularly adjustable, position and particularly to a collapsible lightweight system that is easily assembled with the item to be displayed or collapsed for transport or storage. The display system can be used indoors as a stand alone support or outdoors with a stake-down system or stabilizing counter weights.
II. Related Art
There often exists a need to provide a temporary or portable device for displaying a photomural or other information carrying banner or sign that is readily deployed to support and display a relatively large sign and yet can be collapsed into a lightweight, easily carried compact form for transport and storage. Such a device would find advantageous use in retail sales displays, trade shows, fairs, lawn signs or the like to provide a variety of information to those in view of it. Certain types of signs have been devised that are portable and at least to some extent collapsible.
One type of collapsible, multi-faceted, self-supporting systems with opposed displays is shown by Zeigler (U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,841) in which panels are held together in a back-to-back arrangement. Other collapsible systems are depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,498 to Perutz et al and U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,126 to Sorenson et al. Scissor connectors are used to interconnect a plurality of vertical frame units in Weinrub et al (U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,112).
While existing devices have certain attributes and provide a degree of flexibility and portability in display signs, there remains a need for a lightweight, durable, fully collapsible system that deploys from a knock-down transport or storage state to accommodate a variety of banners or photo-murals readily. There also exists a need for such a system in which a plurality of different banners or murals can be interchangeably displayed in a variety of combinations of multiple panels using the same frames to form a variety of larger multiple-frame displays of various configurations. There also would be an advantage if the size of the display frame could be varied to accommodate a variety of display sizes.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a versatile, lightweight, durable, readily deployed, readily collapsible display support system for a banner or photomural display panel that combines in a variety of configurations to accommodate a variety of banners.
A further object of the invention is to provide a lightweight, durable, readily deployed, readily collapsible display support system for a plurality of banner or photomural display panel units in which a variety of banners or photomurals can readily be accommodated on panels joined together in a manner that enables at least some individual panels to be pivoted relative to each other to form triangles, winged shapes and any number of other display shapes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a multi-panel display support system in which the posture of any display panel is variable and easily adjusted.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a collapsible self-supporting display panel unit of adjustable size.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a display panel support system that is relatively rugged and economical.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a lightweight, durable, readily deployed, readily collapsible display support system for a plurality of banner or photomural display panels in which the banners or photomurals can be displayed in one or more directions.
A yet still further object of the invention is to provide a lightweight, durable, readily deployed, readily collapsible display support system for a plurality of banner or photomural display panels in which the banners or photomurals can be displayed a single direction consecutively in line.
Other objects and advantages associated with the display panel support system of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon further consideration of this specification, drawings and appended claims.